Inspirational Pirate Experience

QEGS Pirate Ship

I visit many schools all over the UK with my Pirate Workshop Day and I am always impressed by the effort that teachers put into making their pirate topic interesting and exciting for the children. I have seen all manner of wonderful classroom displays and role play areas on my travels.

One of the best and most inspiring Pirate Days I have had the pleasure to be involved in came on a visit to Queen Elizabeth Grammar School, Wakefield. What a day it was! I had been booked to work with 80 KS1 boys ( ages 5 – 6 years ). As I arrived at Centenary House there was pirate bunting and wanted posters all round the playground and pirate music playing over the school pa system. All of the teachers and children were in pirate costume, even the catering staff had dressed up to be part of the fun.

The boys joined in enthusiastically in my pirate lesson and the response to the puppet show was fantastic…the noise as was ear shattering as they joined in and interacted with the puppets.

Lunch time was amazing. I watched as the teachers led the boys in a pirate march, to music, round the playground before they all sat down in the sunshine to enjoy a special pirate lunch.

The highlight of the day was the launching of a brilliant pirate ship which the school handy man had made from scrap timber and plywood. The boys had painted it and decorated it with props they had made in class. The children sat in front of the ship and then Captain Gray ( head teacher ) made a rousing speech with lots of pirate vocabulary and appropriate shaking of fists and brandishing of cutlasses. She then brought out one of the boys out whose parents had researched the family tree and discovered that a distant ancestor had been a pirate who served with Captain Hornigold. How interesting! Next one of the teachers was given a dressing down by the captain for disobeying orders and had to be punished…much to the delight of all. It was a fantastic impromptu pantomime and the children absolutely loved it.

We finished off the day making pirate puppets which the children proudly took home with them at the end of the afternoon.

What an amazing day. Well done QEGS!

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